SA Derby (Grade 1) (KYD)- $750.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
April 6, 2024

Heading into the SA Derby, Fractious had two horses safely locked into the KYD but there was room for another and had plenty of candidates. Master And Commander had given him a close call in the BG Stakes an hour earlier, but it would be Fire Chase getting the job done in the SA Derby. This seemed like a very good candidate from the start of the day to be his third choice as he has been good all year, and he would be our pick to win. With A Beschizza aboard, he would utilize a stalking trip and get up just in time to grab the victory. This is the first time that either Fractious or A Beschizza has won the SA Derby, so congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:48.26, which is among the better winning times. Here’s a look at it:

(½ Mile- :47.32)- A few horses break well out of the gate and into the first turn, but after a half mile, it will be Saratoga Stud’s Prestigious Freak that is the fastest of them all. He has company up front, as within a half-length to his inside, is the Mb Stables- trained Quick Knight. Samus had run with the top two around the opening turn for D J C Racing Stables but would back off to run right behind them. Stalking these front three was a group of three that included our eventual winner from Fractious, Fire Chase. He ran in the second lane, and right next to him would be a horse that was very close to him at the wire as well, Greyfriars Stable’s Ocean Storm. On the outside of three wide here is Fire Chase’s stablemate, Capiche. Southern Oak runs seventh for South Shore Stables after breaking well out of the gate and seemingly having the intention to run up front early on. The second half of the field is led by Double Entendre (Riggins Racing), who is a length ahead of Im Sorry So Sorry (Martyparty), and he’s a length ahead of Van Go Go (Fractious) and Maple Mafia (Mb Stables), with Waterville (London Racing) next on the outside. Trailing are Key To The Forest (Alydar Stables) and Soho Story (Allinthegate).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.52)- Down the backstretch and entering the turn, Quick Knight is a little quicker than Prestigious Freak and pulls a half-length in front of him. Sanus rides the rail in third place, directly behind Quick Knight. Fire Chase is still in the fourth position, two lengths behind the leader now, and running between both Ocean Storm and Capiche while having a half-length on them. Ocean Storm and Capiche are in good stride themselves as they keep up with the front horses. The same cannot be said for Southern Oak, who starts to lose ground and now finds Double Entendre and Im Sorry So Sorry catching up to him. There’s a break of a length and a half to the rest of the field.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Quick Knight continued to be the leader, but the horses of interest entering the stretch were Sanus and Fire Chase. First Sanus moved over a lane to prepare to make his pass for the lead as Prestigious Freak started to show signs of tiring. Fire Chase was looking real strong in the turn, and at the top of the stretch was only a length behind the leader. Ocean Storm was running with him, but perhaps the subtle half-length that he lost on Fire Chase on exit of the turn would prove to be very meaningful at the end of this. Capiche was struggling to keep up, but both Double Entendre and Im Sorry So Sorry were gaining ground and looked like they could be a threat here at the end. Maple Mafia and Van Go Go would hope for room on the inside. Southern Oak had dropped out of it. And if any of Key To The Forest, Soho Story, or Waterville had something left, they needed to show it.

(Finish- 1:48.26)- Fire Chase takes over the lead with a furlong to go, but the race was not over yet as Ocean Storm was showing a lot of fight to his inside. Approaching the wire, that one was creeping closer and closer, leading to a photo finish at the wire. After examining it, it was determined that Fire Chase had the head bob on Ocean Storm to grab the win and his spot in the KYD. Don’t feel too bad for Ocean Storm, as his fifty points for second will get him and Greyfriars Stable a spot in the KYD as well. Im Sorry So Sorry and Double Entendre’s late move gets them third and fourth, and since Im Sorry So Sorry has a decent number of points coming in, his third-place effort secures his KYD spot as well. It was close for fifth, not that it matters, between Quick Knight, Van Go Go, Key To The Forest and Waterville. Rounding it out, it’s Capiche, Samus (who seemed destined for so much better at the top of the stretch), Prestigious Freak, Soho Story, Maple Mafia, and Southern Oak.

About The Winner- Fire Chase, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by A Beschizza, is a three-year-old gelding by Chase My Tail Lights and is out of Awesome Fire. He was trained in California by Fractious as a second quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in eight starts, his third stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $829.800.

Track: Fast
Time: :47¹  1:11²  1:36¹  1:48¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 2 Paid 192.60
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 2 – 4 Paid 1,700.00

Scratched: Dr Pepper, Hereslookinatya

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES